The present invention is directed to providing a bookmark for audio programs. In one embodiment an audio service includes the capability of creating a user bookmark to enable a user to proceed through an audio program at that user's own pace.
It is known to provide telephone-based audio services over, for example, the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). For example, it is known to provide call up services where a service user dials a particular number through the PSTN to obtain information. One example of such a service is a "900" service that enables a user to call a "900" number and receive the day-to-day comments of a celebrity or sports personality. Similarly, it is possible to provide an audio service in which the user will dial a designated number and have audio program information, such as news summaries, played back to the user through the PSTN.
The presently available audio services are somewhat limited in nature. In particular, audio-based services that provide serial information are not as powerful as they could be because the user is not provided with a way to select the appropriate pace with which they will proceed through the material. For example, there presently is no flexibility provided to the user for selecting a start point, or more importantly a restarting point if the user accesses a given audio service multiple times. In a typical service, if the user chooses to disconnect from the service at any point prior to the completion of the program material, the call terminates and the service takes no note of where or when the user terminated the access to the service. Connect time may be monitored for billing purposes, but no correlation is drawn to the user's progress through the audio program. If the user later reconnects to the service, the program material is cued to its initial starting point and the user must listen to the entire portion of the program material which was accessed earlier before returning to the point at which the service had earlier been terminated.
The present construction of these services limits their usefulness in providing audio services, such as audio books or audio "soap operas", since there is no possibility of quickly returning to the point at which the user had previously terminated the service. The user is discouraged from re-accessing such services.
For example, the user could with some difficulty return to the same part of a story or soap opera, at the cost of having to listen to the same program material again before proceeding on to new material. Thus, it would be advantageous if there were some technique provided for allowing a user to enjoy the audio services at a pace set by the user.
A similar problem arises in the context of audio program material that can be downloaded from a network audio service, e.g., a music program could be accessed via the Internet and downloaded to a user's PC. Upon playback of the program the user may decide to stop playing the program to pursue some other interest. It would also be advantageous if the PC could provide a technique for automatically positioning the playing back of the downloaded program to avoid having to search for the desired re-starting point.